Despite shift to EVs, number of gas-powered cars on Quebec roads hits record high
The province has been pushing drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) but it appears Quebecers aren't buying in.
The latest numbers from the SAAQ show that the number of gas-powered vehicles hit a record high in 2023.
However ambitious Quebec's targets for the electrification of transport are, gasoline-powered cars aren't out of the game just yet.
Some experts say there are many reasons for the boost in gas vehicles.
"The real problem is that all the early adopters already bought an electric car over the past few years. Now, the problem is you have to conquest a new market, you have to convince new people to buy electric cars," said automotive journalist Marc Bouchard.
However, this wasn't a problem in 2022 when gas-powered car purchases had dropped by over 45,000 in Quebec.
That number quickly climbed by more than 160,000 last year. So is the high cost of driving electric the real culprit?
"The price gap between affordable gas vehicles and EVs is still significant. So you have to drive a lot. You have to drive 28,000 kilometres a year to be able to make it profitable to drive an EV," said Jesse Caron, an automotive expert with CAA.
Caron says that the price of EV batteries is just too steep for manufacturers to be able to mass produce the vehicles in a profitable way.
"As long as the situation prevails, it will be really hard for consumers to get into vehicles that are affordable," Caron said. "Especially with the government subsidies that are being decreased."
Quebec plans to phase out its subsidies for EV vehicles starting next year, ending them completely in 2027.
What impact this will have on the car market has yet to be determined. But what's for sure, says decarbonization specialist Mark Purdon, is that the right incentives can sway public opinion.
That includes getting Quebecers with lower incomes to join the EV movement.
"You can generate some political goodwill through sort of appropriate subsidies and incentives to kind of allow people to say, OK, you're not alone, we know this is going to be a difficult transition," Caron said.
Still, the popularity EVs gained in recent years is undeniable, with almost 171,000 fully-electric and hybrid cars on Quebec roads in 2023 and more than 240,000 so far this year.
As for the rest of 2024, it's a guessing game as to how many drivers will choose to go electric.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.